As is known, fully autonomous vehicles (also variously referred to as driverless vehicles, self-driving vehicles, and robotic cars) are vehicles capable via a navigation system of sensing their environment and navigating between destinations without requiring human input or control. At a high level, the navigation system typically comprises a combination of on-board and remotely located systems and/or services, and may be variously based on radar, laser light, global positioning satellite (GPS), odometry, and computer vision technologies. Autonomous vehicles further typically include control systems capable of analysing sensory data to distinguish between different vehicles encountered on the path of travel, to allow plotting a course between locations. Fully autonomous (i.e., vehicles lacking any means of driver input) vehicle technology when fully developed and implemented will provide numerous advantages, including without intending any limitation reductions in traffic gridlock and improvements in traffic flow, including reductions in traffic collisions and associated injuries and economic cost, increased travel options for physically impaired individuals, reduced requirements for parking capacity, reductions in crime, and others.
Because no driver will be required in a fully autonomous vehicle, modifications to the current internal configuration of a vehicle passenger cabin will be possible. For example, the lack of a requirement for a steering wheel or other means of controlling the vehicle path of travel and the concomitant elimination of the requirement of a dedicated driver's seat will allow making significant changes to the current interior layout of a vehicle passenger cabin such as repositioning the vehicle seats in any way desired. In a fully autonomous vehicle the traditional forward-facing seat arrangement may well become obsolete. Likewise, traditional “front seat” and “back seat” arrangements will likely be eliminated. In turn, elimination of traditional forward-facing front seat and back seat arrangements will result in fewer restrictions on passenger location during a trip, i.e. a passenger may begin a trip in one seat, but may choose mid-trip to simply get up and change seats. The traditional vehicle-forward dash panel could be eliminated. Likewise, the control panels, switches, knobs, etc. that are currently typically mounted in a dash panel could be replaced by centrally-located or seat-mounted control panels, switches, knobs, etc., or even by controls disposed in mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, key fobs, smart keys, etc. carried by a passenger.
Vehicle climate control systems typically include air registers adapted to direct conditioned airflow from the vehicle heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system towards a passenger. Such air registers typically include a louver or vane arrangement which may be manually or automatically adjusted to direct airflow towards a passenger occupying a vehicle seat according to the passenger's preference. Because of vehicle seating rearrangements made possible in fully autonomous vehicles, reconfiguration/repositioning of other vehicle elements such as the air registers will also likely be required. In turn, systems and methods for controlling such repositioned air registers in fully autonomous vehicles will also likely be required.
This disclosure solves this and other problems by providing methods and systems for controlling air register orientation, i.e. direction of airflow, in autonomous vehicles.